Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1887-06-04
NESTS OF BIRDS.
Great Mechanical Skill Exhib-
. lied in Building Them,
4 Chapter On One Of the Most Attractive
Branches Of Natural Science.

science. Not only does it show the
manner n which our binds live, but to a
great extent the character of the birds
themselves. Il would hardly be sup
posed thai by examining birds rest in
the hand much could be told concerning
the builder; yet let any one acquainted
with bird life be given q nest, and al
though he may never have seen it before,
he can tel with considerable accuracy
the general habits, manners and customs
Of the owner ana many other little points
that one would not suppose possible
from SO ordinary an object.
Take for example the humming birds
nest. One would know at glance that
its owner was shy and retiring, prefer
ring conccalment rather than publicity.
No other bird builds so dainty and deli
cate a structure as this 1t is composed
OF the softest Of vegetable down, held
together by countless wrappers of cob
webs and saddled on the branch near
the extremity. This much having been
accomplished, the ingenuity of the
architect is next taxed to guard against
discovery, which is done by covering the
entire outside with coating OF lie hens
gathered from some dead branch or from
the nearest fence, and also held in place
by cobwebs. The whole So nearly re-
sembles knot that unless betrayed by
the birds, one may search tree carefully
for hours without finding it. AS will
be seen by a glance at the sectional view
OF one OF the nests, great prccaution ls
taken to prevent the eggs from being
shaken out by the wind. On the inside
projects rim for quarter Of an inch,
thus avoiding all ordinary danger. The
| measurements Of the nest delineated arc:
Total diameter, one and a quarter
inches; inside diameter, three quarters
of an inch, total height, one inch;
depth Of nest, one half inch.
/ In marked contrast to the nests of the
/ hummers is that of the wood thrush:
what careless, happy go-lucky sort of a
fellow he must be to throw together such
a combination Of roots and dead leaves,
! and how careless as to its position for
the safety Of the young! One finds them
IN the fork formed by two tender sap
lngs crossing each other, where mod
crate gale would separate them and bring
disaster and sorrow to a happy home,
and then again on the top Of fallen tree
trunk, where nothing could harm them.
One of the handsomcst nests is built
by the yellow throated vireo, which in
one respect resembles those of the hum
mers, being covered on the outside with
lichens and dark colored vegetable down
to conceal it. 1t is pendant from the
crotch Of some branch to which it is at
tached by countless turns of thread, cob
webs and long grasses, and so nearly
does it resemble the general color Of the
branch that it is next to impossible tt
fin 1t.
An entirely different class of birds arr
the ground builders, which include tht
game birds. Iarks, buntings and man,
of the sparrows. Oae would be surprised
to see the many variations resorted t
IN their nest construction. Many specie
very closely related build their nests 81
unlike that one would suppose thei
owners to be of different families, while
Others build SO near alike and deposi
eggs 50 similar that unless the birds ar
seen and recognized the eggs will in al
most every case be doubtful indentitv-
as for instance the song sparrow am
swamp song sparrow, whose nests an
eggs placed side By side would lie in
disungulshable to an expert, while thos
Of the bay winged and Savannah bunt
ings ara widely different The former
composed Of fine grass neatly woTe
together and lined with hair, and tn
latter Of short pieces Of grass, perhap
an inch and half long, laid On to-
of each other in hollow in the ground
The nests Of the wooicock and ruffle
grouse furnish examples Of two wide
different birds building similarly, bot
are composed entirely Of matted, dea
leaves, and differ only II s,ze. Tt
former tirl places It's nest almost any
where n the bushes, while the grols
invariably builds un CT some log, stun
or similar places Both are . trail tn
il many cases removal IS a;tende / wit
more or less loss 70. It's bulk, while
others i cannot be accomplished.
Tae woodpeckers belong 70 a class
birds building entirely different fro
any preceding, which are known as Il
woodohoppers- Dead o. partly decaye
trees are generally selected, in which Il
birds can easily zig, the depth q !
excavation varying With tie species a